Mar 6, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) shoots the ball as Washington Wizards guard
Garrett Temple(17) looks on during the second half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
What Would Dragic Bring To The Sixers?
The bottom line with Dragic really is that he’s an experienced guard who is actually of starting caliber in the NBA, not just on the Sixers’ scale. While players like Tony Wroten may be “starting quality,” as Sixers, on almost all other NBA teams, they would not be getting the starting position. Dragic could be the starter on several teams.
His seven years in the league let him bring experience to the table, and could allow him to mentor and guide the younger players. While Gerald Wallace is a new member of the team, I’m not sure all of this efforts to be a veteran presence on the team will truly be as beneficial as they would be with two veterans with extensive knowledge of the game.
Watching Dragic play, he really comes off as a bit squeamish and rambunctious on the court. Although it looks like he doesn’t really have a plan because of this, that’s often not the case.
He uses this unpredictability to his advantage, and his quick movement leaves people trying to guard him guessing. More often than not, they guess wrong.
Dragic embodies all of the things a guard should embody. He can score, but he can also dish the ball out. His fast break is a threat as well.
Watching him on the Heat was fun last season, and I loved seeing his assists to big men.
This wasn’t anything atypical. Dragic would often force his way into the key, and attract defenders to make sure he didn’t get an easy layup. When this happens, a big man — in this case, Hassan Whiteside — was left open, and he has an easy dish for a layup or an alley-oop.
Pick and rolls work well with Dragic as well.
Imagine Dragic doing this alongside Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor. It could mesh perfectly.
Similar to the Sixers’ current trend of how the players are growing, Dragic is like an older version of these underdeveloped guys. It took him several years before he was at a starting level. He didn’t average double digit points or above five assists until his fourth year in the league.
Since then, he’s had years with great production, including a year that he averaged over 20 points per game. The Sixers’ dying offense could use something like that in their backcourt.
His three point shooting is pretty average, and he sticks close to the hoop for most of his shots, but still, he could be a boost to the offense. With him sticking close to the key, he could help in making the Sixers an even more dominant paint team.
Next: Bottom Line